Combined drifting and relief valve for locomotives.



1. F..M\LLER.

COMBINED DRIFTING AND RELIEF VAIQVE FOR `LOCONIOTIVE-S.

' ',APPLlcATloN FILED ^ue.20, 1915.

Maf

l/vl/E/vof? L/UHN' F. MILLER,

By l

ATTORNEYS WTNESSES.'

i I. F. MILLER. .COMBINED DRIFTING AND RELIEF VALVE FOR LOCMOTIVES.

Patented Mar. 7,1916.

. V2 SHEETS-SIHEETZ.

` APPLICATION FILED AUG.20, 1915.

ATTORNEYS Wl TNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN FRANCIS MILLER, oF DOUGLAS, ARIZONA.

COMBINED DRIFTING AND RELIEF VALVE FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 7, 1916.

Application filed August 20, 15H5.A Serial No. 46,482.V

To all 107mm t may concern.' i

Be it known that I, JOHN F. MILLER, a

citizen ofthe United States, and a resident I of Douglas, in the county of Cochise and State ofAriZona, have invented an Improvement in Combined Drifting and Relief Valves for Locomotives'ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvement in valves and has particular reference to coinbined drifting and reliefvalves adapted for use in connection with steam locomotives.

It is a common practice, in the operation of locomotives, to close the throttle valve thereof when descending a grade and thereby shut off the supply of steam to the valve chests in which event serious damage would occur to the cylinders by reason of the partial vacuum produced therein. In order to overcome this dilicultytit has been proposed, heretofore, for the steam chests which would open to permit ingress of atmospheric air when the throttle -valve was closed. This method is open to the serious objection that the inrusli of cold air intothe different passages which had been highly heated `would cause a sudden change in the temperature therein re- 1 su`lting in the cracking orbreaking of Valves, bushings and other parts and the burning of lubricantsand combustible gases formed by the'mixture of oil, heat and air.

in the valve chambers.

The ,present invention is designed to overcome the abo-ve objectionsby the provision ofa drift valve associated with a relief valve l of any preferred construction and' automaticallyr operated upon the actuation of said relief valve to admit a constant supply of saturated steam from the boiler to the main super-heated valve chambers, steamfpipes, or cylinders of the locomotive .so that when the latter is driftingthe combustible gases in said chambers willbe destroyed and the temperature in the different parts will remain constant.' This saturated steam, in acldition to performing the above functions willalso provide a cushion to assist in cen- A tralizing. the pistons while the locomotive l is drifting and thereby practically eliminate.` the drawing in of -cindersand heat yat the exhaust. yWhen the' locomotive-is brought to va stop'the drift valve is automatically closed 'by the yusual'fescapej of steam from the steam chests, relief. valves, theaevlosingf to provide check or relief valves a section on the line 77 of of said driftvvalve permitting the escape of said steam into the atmosphere. he foregoing results are obtained with a simple construction number of parts assemble, durable, out the purpose for Y The inventive idea involved is capable of receiving a variety of mechanical expressions, one of which, for the purpose of illuseasy to manufacture and consisting o-f a minimum "A and effeetivein carrying which they are designed.

trating the invention is shown in the acoompanying drawings, in which` Figure l is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the valves showing the saine in closed position. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l taken at right angles thereof the casing 10 the same is a valve seat'12 having a web as to provide openings 14 thro-ugh said seat, said vweb having centraily mounted therein the valve stem 15 of the relief valve and mounting therefor 'is of provided with commonconstruction and itis to be under.-

stood that any preferred form of relief valve maybe employedin connection with the invention.

The upper end of the" valve casing 10 is reduced to provide a cylinder 17 in which vto and showing the valve in open position, f

secured to said chest. Intermediate the ends portion 13 so reliefvalvel. The

islmounted a drift valve' generally indil cated by 18 and provided at its upper end and intermediate its ends 'with the heads 19 forming an annular depression or cavity 20 therebetween. The heads 19 each have mounted therein friction rings 21 adapted to engage the Wall of cylinder' 17. The lower end 22 of the valve 18 is enlarged and provided With a central depression 23, said enlarged end being yadapted to reciprocate in the main portion ofthe valvecasing 10k bef` tween the 'upper end thereof `:and `fthe;-v 'alve' seat 12. The valve stein 24 passes long itu' dinally through the valve 18 and has its upper end mounted in the upper .end of the valve casing 1 0 and its lower end adapted to engage -the upper end of the valve stem 15 of the relief valve 16. i Adjacent the upper end of the casing the same is provided-With an inlet 25 `in which is threaded a coupling 26 to the outer end of which is connected. a pipe 27 Whichl preferably connects the valve, mechanism with theboiler of the locomotive. The inlet 25' is adapted to at all times 'communi-v cate with vthe cavity20 in the valve `18fso that a constant supply.l of 'saturatedysteam is maintained in said valve. Directly below inV alinement with the inlet 25 the casing 1 0 is also provided with an outlet 28 which is adapted to be bridged by the cavity 20 when thedrift valve 18 is operated in a manner to appear in thecourse of this description. A coupling 29 is mounted in the outlet 28 and has connected thereto a pipe` 30 which communicates With either or all of tliemain steam heated parts ofthe engine, such as; the valve chamber, steam pipesl or cylinders. Therefore When the main control of the locomotiveis shut off the drift valve is operated, in a manner to be pres- 1 This suctionl Will produce a partial vacuum` ently described, so ,as to.l cause the cavity by-passes 32 and 33, the lower end of theL latter communicating With an annular cavity 34; foimedin the top of the valve seat"- 12, the latter having grooves 35 for permitting steam from the by-pass 33 topass into the interior of the casing when; the drift A small check valve 31 in `and cause the same to move downwardly to the position'shown in Fig. 2, When the cavity'20l Will connect the inlet and voutlet ports 25 and 28and by-pass 32, the move-` ment of said valvedoWnWardly being facilitated by thegatmospheric pressure above the' parts 19 'and 22 thereof. As long as the' locomotive drifting and the throttle closed the drift Will remain in its open position closing the openings 38 and a constant supply -of steam. Willfbe transmitted to the different parts of the engine to which the pipe 30 is connected. When the locomotive comes'toa stop, the relief valve being opened as usual, steam from the steam chest vWill escape past said valve and through the valve' seat 12 into the' cavity 23 of the valve 18 and the pressure of said 'I permitted to pass` out through the openingsy 38 intothe atmosphere.l It is not uncommon for theserelief valves to fail to remain and relief valves are open. This supply of .i

steam is also supplied byy the bridging of the inlet 25 `andthe inner endof the bypass 32 by the `cavity 20 and flows past the relief valve when the same is open into the valve vlchambers vso that any combustible gases formed therein are destroyed.

The manner of causing the operation of' the drift valve 18- includes the admission of' atmospheric .pressure into the `casing 10 above the upper'head 19 and the enlarged end 22 of said valve through the ports 36v and 37, respectively. y When the locomotive" isdri-fting and the mainthrottle has been closed, the relief valve 161Will open and.

cause a suction throughthe plurality of openings38 Aformed inthe valve casing 10 a slightv distance above the valve seat 12..

under the enlarged end 22- of the drift'valve .open at all times while the engine is at a standstill with the main-throttle closed, this condition being diie to various causes, such as when the engine is reversed an instant steam Will cause said valve to return t'o its closed position whereupon the steam `will be before it comes to a stop which results in the relief valves engaging their seats.

`When once seated but little pressure is necessary to hold these valves closed and for this reasontleby-pass 33, annular cavity 34 in the top of the valve seat'12, and thel grooves in said top are provided'. Should the relief valve become closed, as suggested above,v the pressure ofthe steam entering through' the ports 35 will again open therelief. valve and thus retain the drift valve in closed position.

A`The boilers of locomotives are often required to undergo tests of various' kinds and in `so doing the steam pipes and .valve cavities are left containing more or less Water. Initial steam is almost invariably generated by a forced draftand the steamgenerated from the Water trapped, as mentioned above,

ico

is unable, in' some cases, to escape to the at.-

mosphere through the relief valves Without attaining a pressure that Will force said lvalves to'tlieir seats thus leaving the-locomotive in'danger of inadvertently starting.k

To meet the above difficulty the relief valves must be held open against this pressure and it has been the commonpractice, heretofore,

'to do 'this' with a ,bar Wrench or other like n10 andy has mountedn thereon" an eccentric ,40j

implement. This method has been found defective and inconvenient in many respects and an improved device has thereforev been .provided in connection With the present invention for effectively 'locking the reliefvalves in open position whenever desired.

This locking devicev compri-ses a. Ashaft -39 which is journaled in th'e top of. the casing having oneend of yalat spring 41' secured mounted therein,

thereto, the free end thereof vbeing adapted to engage the upper end of the valve stem 24 whereby to assist in retaining the relief 'valve in open position against the` slight pressure' of the leaking steam from the steam chest. One end of the shaft 39 is provided with a handle 42 through which a locking pin 43 extends, one endk of said pin being adapted ,to engage a notch 44 formed in the adjacent face of `the casing whereby the eccentric 40 is retained in adjusted position. A lever 45 is pivoted intermediate its ends to the handle 42 and alsol pivo-tedA at oneof its ends to the pin 43. A spring 46 is interposed' between the handle 42 and lever 45 whereby the pin is normally held in its, locking position.

l `What is claimed isz-f l. A drift valve mechanism for locomotive engines comprising a casing, a relief valve mounted therein and a drift valve also said. easing being provided with steam lnlet and l outlet openings and adapted to be connected when the drift valve is open, and with by-passes for supplying a jet of steam to one side of said relief valve to retain the same open while the throttle valve ofthe engine is closed.

2.' A drift valve ymechanism for locomotive engines, comprising a casing, a relief valve mounted` therein, a drift valve .also operative therein, said casing being provided with a series of openingsl between said partial vacuum at one end of the latter to open the Same when the former is opened, and steam inlet and outlet ports in said cas,- ing controlled by the movement of said vdrift valve.

3. A drift valve mechanism for loco-` motive engines, comprising a casing, a relief 3 being ysupply of steam is'admitted to one side of saldrelief valve to retain the same open while the throttle closed. j

4. A drift valve mechanism for locomotive engines comprising a casing, arevalve o-f the locomotive is at one end of the latter to lief valve mounted therein, a drift valve also operative therein,

a rod upon which said drlft valve slides,

and manually operated means carried by the casing for adjusting said rod to open said relief valve.

5. A drift valve mechanism for locomotive engines comprising a casing having a restricted end, a relief valve mounted in said casing,l a ldrift valve also mounted in said casing and having a portionoperating in the restricted end thereof, and steam inlet and outlet by-passes leading into the-re- 'f stricted end of'the casing and arranged in adjusted position and controlled by the movements of said drift valve, said-casing provided with a plurality of openings between 'said relief and drift 'valves whereby to create .a partial vacuum at one end of the latter when the former is opened. l

JGHN FRANCIS MILLER.l e

Witnesses:

JAS. N. HUNSAKER, GEORGE W. CAss.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. C. 

